The Breast HealthCare Center started offering 3D for screening mammography last September. Since January 2012, they had used the technology with diagnostic mammography to make sure it really offered benefits.

3D mammography is a relatively new technology, approved by the FDA in 2011. It takes a series of 15 images in an arc within four seconds. These thin cross-sections allow radiologists to examine breast tissue layer-by-layer.

Clinical trials in the U.S. and Europe have shown that breast cancers often are better seen in 3D because of improved resolution and visualization.

Missouri Baptist Medical Center is among the first hospitals in Missouri to offer a new tool in the diagnosis of breast cancer – 3D-tomosynthesis mammography. Tomosynthesis 3D breast scans represent the next generation of mammography, enhancing the ability to detect cancer sooner. Earlier diagnosis means a better chance of recovery and survival for breast cancer patients.

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